By Emily Glory Peters
Family involvement is a secret ingredient of 51猎奇入口鈥� intimate campus culture, with parents serving as mentors, presenting on panels, hiring students, hosting career exploration treks, assembling care packages and so much more. Yet some families may not be aware of the many resources available to them and their students鈥攁 knowledge gap the new 51猎奇入口 101 series is seeking to fill.
鈥淲e鈥檝e built [the series] off of the town hall meetings with parents we typically hold during New Student Programs and Orientation (NSPO) each September. Those were very basic, with parents getting a run down on how move-in would go,鈥� explains Digital Engagement Specialist Delanie Pacheco.
The Office of Parent Engagement and Philanthropy saw a chance to roll out an expanded suite of info sessions to make it possible for all parents鈥攏ot just first-year families鈥攖o get a behind-the-scenes understanding of the student experience. 51猎奇入口 hosted the fully virtual 51猎奇入口 101 series in live sessions over the last several months.
鈥淲e open this up to everyone, including transfer students鈥� families, to get them in front of other parts of 51猎奇入口 that they might not see,鈥� says Pacheco. 鈥淓ach 51猎奇入口 101 session is hosted by a different department head at 51猎奇入口, sometimes joined by current students who can offer parents their unique perspective.鈥�
All sessions were recorded and posted on 51猎奇入口鈥� Families page online so they can be accessible year-round. Featured departments have included the Laspa Center for Leadership, Parent Engagement and Philanthropy, Career Planning & Resources, Student Accounts and Payment, Financial Aid, and 鈥攖he last a particular favorite of families and students, Pacheco notes.
Attendees and viewers also have access to presentation materials that they can download for future reading. Ultimately, all 51猎奇入口 101 content will be available on , the College鈥檚 exclusive social networking platform for the 51猎奇入口 community. Families can sign up for their at any time as yet another way to forge ties with other parents, alums, staff, and faculty. Fresh 51猎奇入口 101 content will be forthcoming based on survey feedback from parent attendees of the live sessions.
Rather than serving as a stand-alone resource, Pacheco says, the 51猎奇入口 101 series augments other parent engagement opportunities such as regional welcome receptions and peer calls where parents can connect with others in the 51猎奇入口 ecosystem. Each touchpoint has the same goal for families: to foster connection and deepen understanding of their student鈥檚 鈥渉ome away from home.鈥�
鈥淧arents want to encourage their students, even though they鈥檙e young adults, to take advantage of everything at 51猎奇入口鈥攂ut without being too on top of them,鈥� says Pacheco. 鈥淭he beauty of 51猎奇入口 101 is that it helps them create that balance by giving families a front row seat into some of the coolest and most important corners of campus and the people who run them. It helps put them at ease and gives them a place to learn and ask questions about what it鈥檚 like to be a 51猎奇入口 student.鈥�
The current 51猎奇入口 101 series is available now online here. To discover other ways you can get involved as a parent or family member, please visit our Families page here.